EVSC 362/562 : Geographic Information System Methods

(Introduction to GIS)

Summer 2009
.............

David Richardson, Instructor

Qin Yu, Teaching Assistant

Tenative Weekly Syllabus / Lecture Notes

SECTION ONE - (readings/tutorials: gtkArcGIS ch.1-8,18-19  + Bolstad : ch 1, 2, 4 (p123-132, 159-169).)

• Introduction, Class structure & policies, and History of GIS
• Basic GIS concepts, Components of ArcGIS, and Getting your feet wet with ArcGIS (demo).
  
  
• Map Elements, Metadata, plus querying and mapping demonstration.
• Feature Types, Data Structures, and Topology of Vector Data

SECTION TWO - (readings/tutorials: gtkArcGIS ch.14-16,9,13  + Bolstad : ch 4 (p133-146), 8, 3.)

• Creating and Editing Vector Data with ArcGIS desktop (using MLBS-CAD data and exercise (pt A)).
• Creating and Populating Attribute Data Tables
  and Importing and Generating new Coverages from Ascii Data (demo data)
• Succession and Ecological Facilitation and Inhibition plus
  Global Positioning Systems (GPS) - Guest lecturer: Chris Gist
  
  
• Projections and Coordinate Systems

Homework Projects and Supplemental Exercises

• Homework Project #1:
  Exploring the GIS data of UVA's three biological field stations (BEF, MLBS, VCR-LTER)
  View as a HTML or MS Word document.
  
  • Supplemental Exercise (do first before starting homework!): Importing ArcInfo interchange files (.e00)
  • Homework Data

    Please download the "States" zipped archive below
    PLUS two other zipped archives from one of the three field stations [your choice].
    Note: it may take a few minutes to download the data (particularly the images in the 2nd paired file). Please be patient.

    State Data

    Blandy one and Blandy two

    Mt. Lake one and Mt. Lake two

    VCR one and VCR two

  • Links to more information about UVA's three biological/ecological field stations:
    • Blandy Experimental Farm
    • Mountain Lake Biological Station
    • Virginia Coast Reserve / Long-Term Ecological Research project

  
  

• Homework Project #2:
  Patterns of Early Forest Succession in an Abandoned Old Field: The Role of Facilitation or Inhibition by Grasses (BEF)
  

  
  

• Homework Project #3:
  Potential Habitat Analysis and Conservation Area Selection Analysis for Four Salamander Species in the MLBS Study Region
  

  
  

• Homework Project #4:
  Shoreline Accretion/Erosion and Habitat Preference of Colonial Nesting Birds on Northern Hog Island (VCR-LTER): 1976-1978 to present
  

  
  
  Data Dictionaries
  containing metadata for the GIS datasets used for homework projects (see homework instructions for addional details):

  BEF Data Dictionary (HTML or MsWord)	MLBS Data Dictionary (HTML or MsWord)
  VCR-LTER Data Dictionary (HTML or MsWord)	States Data Dictionary (HTML or MsWord)

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  Announcements

  Date: July 1st: *** Course Description *** 21117 EVSC 362 (Section 1) 2104B EVSC 562 (Section 1) Geographic Information System Methods [3] 0800 to 1015. June 10 to July 8 MTWRF in Wilson 308 David Lee Richardson Prerequisites: Basic computer skills essential (experience with word processing, spreadsheets, file-transfer programs like FTP or UVA's HomeDir). Introduces the basic concepts and methodology underlying GIS with a focus on hands-on experience and exercises meant to get students competent and able to use GIS in their own work. Creation, manipulation, and mapping of vector and raster datasets using ArcGIS, with examples and homework projects drawn from issues pertinent to environmental research and natural resources management.

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